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Having Trouble Attracting New Customers?

The start of a new year brings with it the hope of new opportunities for business growth. But, finding all of those potential new customers can be a harder task than you realize. How exactly do you persuade someone that they need to buy your product or service? If you look for customers in the right places, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Define Your Target

Who benefits from your product? A man, woman, young, old, consumer, business owner? There are a lot of different types of consumers, and a different way to market to each one. Creating a detailed spreadsheet of your ideal customer will give you a better idea of the next marketing steps you need to take. Be as specific as possible when compiling this information; “men ages 21-50” is not a specific description. Duluth Jeans has done a great job of targeting its audience with the latest line of commercials. The ads, narrated by a husky man’s voice, are obviously targeted towards men required to do a lot of physical labor. (1)

Look for common characteristics and interests among your current consumers. There are likely many other people with the same interest that could benefit from your product. Also, be mindful of how your competitors are marketing to their customers. Is there a niche market they are overlooking?

Choose Your Medium

Now that you have defined your target audience, use the information to choose the best outlet for your advertising efforts. You don’t necessarily need to change any campaigns you already have in place, but rather optimize them by determining the best way to relay the message to your customers.
TV will likely be the most expensive option, but it gives you the most control. For example, you can schedule the Duluth Jeans placement to run during a show about carpentry or plumbing, rather than anytime on a random channel. This give your commercial a higher chance of being viewed by a potential customer.

Radio also gives you the ability to selectively choose when a placement runs to ensure the highest percentage of potential customers is listening.

If you have a younger target audience, increase your web presence. Create social media profiles and invest in Pay-Per-Click campaigns that will boost direct traffic to your website.

Word of Mouth

A referral is one of the best marketing strategies you can hope for. If one of your customers referred a friend or family to you, they were truly satisfied with your product or service. That referral will spread around the community from potential customer to potential customer simply because people like talking to each other. Referral customers are also known to purchase more over time.

Finding referrals goes back to your target audience: you must have a clear idea of who your 'perfect' customer is. They will be the ones to fully understand and appreciate your product in a way that will relay a positive message to other customers. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals from those satisfied customers. If they really liked your business, they should be willing to help you out in return.